Noa noticed that, indeed, the aura of the boy standing before him was not the same as the one he had sensed earlier—which should have been good news… but.
"His aura is even more overwhelming than before."
Soni stared at him without even blinking. His gaze was so oppressive it could be compared to that of a killing machine. Under such unbearable pressure, even Noa was beginning to doubt his chances of victory.
Weaver warned him one last time:
— Stop being stubborn and listen to me. You're no match for this guy. Get away from him as fast as you can!
But Noa, in a low voice, murmured that he couldn't. Since there were clearly two of them, but only one in front of him, that meant the second one was elsewhere and…
— The other one is probably already with Atela.
Weaver replied that it was all the more reason to leave, but Noa countered once again by pointing out the obvious:
— He's here to keep me from going to help her. And since I can't beat him, if I run to help her, he'll catch up to me… and it'll turn into a completely unbalanced fight in terms of power.
Soni, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke, his words calm yet heavy as stone:
— Who would've thought the boy who made Damnation grow would be this weak… and to think he's my superior, that's depressing.
Hearing that, Noa confirmed his theory. He deduced that Soni was referring to the man with the stitched smile.
Ranta then asked:
— You know each other?
— Not exactly…
Weaver didn't like where things were going at all, and when Noa saw his blade trembling, he understood perfectly.
— Kobra.
Hearing his name, he turned toward Noa, who looked more tense than usual.
— Tell me… when you were in the observation room, could you hear everything that was being said?
He replied no. They could see all their movements, but couldn't hear any sound due to how the projection worked.
"That doesn't make things any better… Harman can't hear us, so he can't know they're Celestians. We'll have to make him come another way… but for that…"
Noa then revealed, without any transition, that the boy in front of them belonged to the organization responsible for the destruction of the Kingdom of Zhaorin: Celestia.
To the surprise of his two teammates—and even of the person concerned, who clearly hadn't expected it.
But Kobra's face darkened instantly, without needing any proof. He began walking toward Soni.
— So he's a Celestian… in that case, nothing's stopping me from killing him.
He charged straight at the boy without hesitation, convinced it was the best possible choice.
He raised his fist, coated in scarlet chaotic energy that enhanced his body, then threw a punch of tremendous power, blasting the air around them.
But just as Noa had anticipated while observing the scene, Soni barely moved his head. He took the hit without flinching, then locked his blood-red gaze into Kobra's burning eyes.
— Tell me… what exactly do you think you're doing, you failure?
Ranta was shocked by the situation. How could someone barely older than them withstand such a powerful blow head-on?
"He's definitely not normal…"
Soni grabbed Kobra's fist against his cheek with incredible strength. Yet Kobra didn't seem impressed in the slightest.
His dull gaze, filled with indescribable hatred, prompted Soni to ask:
— Do we know each other?
Tightening his grip, he pushed Kobra back in a single motion, effortlessly sending him back to where he started.
— If you'll allow me, I'll introduce myself properly. I am Soni Leonart, the 12th Archbishop of Celestia.
Noa could only stand still in the face of such power… but what truly intrigued him was his rank.
"12th Archbishop… does that mean he's potentially the weakest?"
But Noa also noticed that Kobra seemed particularly agitated since learning that Soni was a Celestian.
Kobra then spoke, with a single question in mind. His expression was that of a raging beast.
— By any chance… does one of your superiors go by the name Kevin Harmor?
Soni replied simply:
— I have no valid reason to answer your question. And besides, you're not the one I'm interested in.
He raised his finger and pointed at Noa, his tone unsettling, his gaze murderous:
— You're the one I came for.
Noa looked at him, completely confused.
"Normally, they're supposed to be after Atela… not me."
Kobra lost patience and shouted:
— I ASKED YOU IF ONE OF YOUR SUPERIORS IS NAMED KEVIN HARMOR!
Soni, pretending to think, seemed amused by his anger.
— So… what answer would satisfy you?
Noa gestured to Ranta. A laser struck their enemy in a massive explosion.
The three of them took advantage of the chaos to flee as fast and as far as possible.
— Even if it hurts to run like this… we need to find a way to make Harman understand he's a Celestian.
Ranta suggested several ideas: using lethal techniques against their enemy—since killing is forbidden—which would force Harman to intervene and disqualify him, then explain the situation.
Kobra, seeming slightly calmer, spoke in turn:
— For that… let's just hope he's watching the fight from the observation room.
In that very room, Nicolas Marmon felt that something was wrong. He had a bad feeling.
Émilia, her body weakened, was being treated by Marie's regenerative power. She too seemed uneasy.
— Me too… honestly. Just sensing the aura he's giving off while watching them on the screen… I can't stay calm.
Leaning against the metal door, Harman was carefully noting everything he saw on the screen in his journal, with surgical precision.
As if he were waiting for something in particular, his gaze drifting between thought and focus, analyzing every piece of information.